CLEARWATER, Fla. — The World According To Jonathan Papelbon press conference took place Monday afternoon, with the Phillies’ closer gently placing his big toe under the bus tire and tossing Charlie Manuel under the transmission.

Papelbon offered no apologies for some of the things he said late last season and this winter, most notably his “I didn’t come here for this” comment and the assertion the clubhouse lacked leadership and continuity.

What he did say was that Ryne Sandberg already has implemented some changes that will help address the camaraderie and communication issues that he believes helped unravel the team last season.

He wasn’t very neat in dragging the former manager through the mud.

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“It starts from Ryno,” Papelbon said of his new, sparkling optimism following a season in which he blew seven saves in 36 attempts and suffered from reduced velocity. “It starts from our manager encouraging us to stay positive and be upbeat even though the last two seasons didn’t go as expected for myself and the rest of the guys in that clubhouse.

“Every morning we have a meeting and Ryno talks about energy and spark, about bringing it every day. Last year and the year previous, we didn’t have that. We were losing games and I feel like we let losing get to the best of us. I let it get to me just as much as anybody.”

All Papelbon has experienced with the Phils are unmet expectations, and he believes Manuel was too set in his ways to make the adjustments the team needed to deal with crises.

“When Charlie was here there was already a set environment,” he said. “There was already a set way of things to do. And they were winning. They were winning, then all of a sudden it hits rock bottom. Literally within a year you start losing. So I think that just took on a whole life of its own.”

Although Papelbon acknowledged that some of his words have come out of frustration, he didn’t plan on changing his ways.

“I know I said a lot of things that have come in the middle of losing streaks that come out with emotion,” he said. “I’ve always been an emotional type of player. That’s just the way I am.

“This year, that emotion has turned into so much more of a positive than a negative. I’m not saying we’re going to go out and everything is hunky dory. We still have a lot of work to put in. That starts from the top with Ryno. A lot of the guys are jumping on board.

“This year, I’m definitely trying to be a lot more of a positive influence and be more upbeat.”

Just don’t tell Manuel until he gets the tire tracks off his back.

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Jonathan Pettibone won’t touch a baseball until at least Saturday. The right-hander, who is hoping to vie for the No. 5 spot in the Phils’ rotation, had a doctor’s visit Monday and received a cortisone shot in his inflamed right shoulder.

According to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., the doctor didn’t believe an MRI was necessary at this stage. Pettibone missed the last two months of last season because of the same issue.

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NOTES: The Phillies lost southpaw Joe Savery, their top pick in the 2007 draft, when the Oakland A’s claimed him from waivers. The Phillies had to make room on the 40-man roster for A.J. Burnett and hoped to slip Savery through after designating him for assignment. The 28-year-old went 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 18 games with the Phils last season, but was going to have a hard time making the big-league roster with Antonio Bastardo and Jake Diekman virtual locks to be with the team on Opening Day. ... The first full day of workouts is Tuesday, but all position players had reported to camp Monday. The pitchers had a day of rest from bullpen sessions Monday and worked on base-running drills.